Mountings for payloads

ABSTRACT

The disclosure relates to a mounting for a payload (e.g. a TV/Video camera) comprising a platform ( 18 ) providing a mounting face for the payload, means ( 15, 19 ) to mount the platform for rotation about a horizontal axis for tilting of the platform to either side of a neutral position in which the platform is horizontal and spring ( 25 ) means to provide resistance to the said tilting movement in either direction from said neutral position to counterbalance the payload/platform in any position of tilt. The spring means comprise a torsion spring means and coupling means ( 21, 22, 24, 24 ) are provided interconnecting the platform and said spring means with a mechanical advantage which increases automatically with movement of the platform away from said neutral position to compensate for the increasing spring resistance to tilting generated by the torsion spring to counterbalance the camera/platform combination through its range of tilting.

[0001] This invention relates to a mounting for a payload such as a TV or Video camera in which the mounting includes a platform to carry the pay load which is rotatable about a horizontal axis to either side-of a neutral position in which the platform is horizontal and a spring mechanism is provided to resist the tilting movement in either direction from said neutral position to counterbalance the payload-platform in any position of tilt.

[0002] Our European patent specification No. 0558597, our UK patent specification No. 2102757, and our UK patent No. 2189042 disclose camera mountings with different mechanisms for counter-balancing the mounting in tilt movement so that the mounting will stay at rest in any position of tilt to which it is moved.

[0003] The above arrangements all provide substantially perfect balance throughout their ranges of movement once correctly adjusted but all of the mechanisms are complicated and require considerable space in which to operate.

[0004] GB Patent Specification No. 2049601 discloses a torque counterbalancing mechanism for use on tiltable tables, the mechanism comprising a cam engaged by a cam follower on which a linear helical spring acts so that the interaction of the cam and follower produces a force equal and opposite to the torque generated as the tiltable table with load rotates either side of the vertical.

[0005] The linear spring of this arrangement takes up considerable space and it is not easy with this arrangement to provide different springs which can be selectively coupled/uncoupled with the cam follower to cater for different loads.

[0006] It is therefore an object therefore of this invention to provide a counter balanced camera mounting which is of simple and compact construction whilst preserving substantially perfect balance throughout its range of movement.

[0007] This invention provides a mounting for a payload (e.g. a TV/Video camera) comprising a platform providing a mounting face for the payload, means to mount the platform for rotation about a horizontal axis for tilting of the platform to either side of a neutral position in which the platform is horizontal and spring means to provide resistance to the tilting position to counterbalance the payload/platform in any position of tilt, wherein the spring means comprise a torsion spring means and coupling means are provided interconnecting the platform and said spring means with a mechanical advantage which increases automatically with movement of the platform away from said neutral position to compensate for the increasing spring resistance to tilting generated by the torsion spring required to counterbalance the camera/platform combination throughout its range of tilting.

[0008] Preferably the torsion spring is arranged with its axis parallel to said horizontal axis about which the platform rotates and the coupling means acts on the tiltable platform at a location spaced from the horizontal axis of rotation of the platform.

[0009] By way of example the coupling means may comprise a lever connected to the platform and coupled to the torsion spring means to exert a torque thereon.

[0010] More specifically the lever may have a sliding connection to the platform to accommodate the different axes of rotation of the platform and lever whereby tilting of the platform tilts the lever by a corresponding amount to develop a torque in such a torque spring which resists said tilting of the platform.

[0011] In any of the above arrangements, the torsional spring means may comprise a helical spring or a flattened spiral spring.

[0012] The following is a description of some specific embodiments of the invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0013]FIG. 1 is a side view of a mounting for a TV/Video camera;

[0014]FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the mounting shown in FIG. 1;

[0015]FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view of an alternative construction with the camera platform shown upright;

[0016]FIG. 4 shows the mounting of FIG. 3 with the platform tilted to one side; and

[0017]FIG. 5 is an end view of the mounting of FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0018]FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings show a tiltable mounting for a TV, video or cinematograph camera comprising a base indicated generally at 10 in the form of an upstanding enclosure, the upper part of which is semi-circular in profile. The enclosure has a bottom wall 11, spaced side walls 12 and 13 and top wall 14.

[0019] Stub shafts 15 extend through and are rotatably supported in bearings 17 mounted in the side walls 12,13 for rotation about a horizontal axis.

[0020] A standard platform 18 having conventional devices for locating and securing a TV/Video camera to the platform has downwardly dependent spaced apart legs 19 which extend down either side of the enclosure and are secured to the projecting ends of the stub shafts 15 to support the platform for rotation.

[0021] A mechanism for counterbalancing tilting movement of the platform from neutral horizontal position will now be described.

[0022] It will be appreciated and will be demonstrated by the mathematical analysis to follow later that the torque required to balance the platform over the 90° of movement from the horizontal will rise rapidly at first and then tail off towards the 90° position.

[0023] The counter-balancing mechanism provided to achieve this comprises a second shaft 20 rotatably mounted in bearings 21 in the side walls 12,13 of the enclosure vertically above the shaft 15. At one end of the shaft 20 a lever 22 is secured to the shaft to rotate with the shaft. The lever has a slideway 23 extending lengthwise of the lever to which a pin 24 projecting from the adjacent leg 19 engages. Thus, as the platform tilts on shafts 15, engagement of the pin 24 in the slideway will cause the lever 22 to rotate. It will be appreciated that the point of engagement of the pin in the slideway on the lever will vary because of the different axes of rotation, and to accommodate this the pin will slide along the slideway as the leg and lever rotates.

[0024] Within the enclosure, a torsion spring 25 encircles the shaft 21 to one end 26 of the spring 25 being anchored to the shaft and the other end 27 being anchored to the enclosure. The torsion spring provides a resistance to “wind up” which increases linearly with rotation of the lever. To compensate for this effect on the platform/leg assembly, the sliding connection of the lever to the leg provides an increasing mechanical advantage which the leg exerts on the spring with tilting of the platform/leg assembly away from the neutral position. In this way the rate of rotation of the arm and therefore the rate of wind up of the torsion spring is arranged to generate a torque in the spring which, at the increasing mechanical advantage acting on the leg matches the increasing out of balance force of the payload/platform 15 to counterbalance fully the platform wherever it is moved to up to 90° on either side of the horizontal.

[0025] Reference is now made to FIGS. 3 to 5 of the drawings which show a further tiltable mounting for a TV/Video camera having an alternative form of counterbalancing mechanism in accordance with the invention. Many of the features of the mounting are the same as those of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and like parts have been given the same reference numerals. In the embodiment of FIGS. 3 to 5, the second shaft 20 on which the torsion spring 25 acts is mounted vertically below the shaft 15 being supported in bearings in the sidewalls 12 and 13 of the enclosure. In this case, one end of the torsion spring is anchored in sidewall 13 of the enclosure and the other end of the torsion spring is anchored in an arm 30 fixed to the shaft 20. One end of the shaft 20 projects through the sidewall 12 of the enclosure and a lever is secured at one end to the projecting end of the shaft. The other end of the lever carries a roller 32 to act as a cam follower.

[0026] Shaft 15 on which the camera mounting is pivoted has a heart-shaped cam 33 fixed to the shaft to be engaged by the cam follower 32. The heart-shaped cam 33 is oriented on the shaft 15 so that when the camera mounting platform 18 is horizontal, the top of the heart faces laterally of the shaft 15 and the cusp form 34 at the top of the heart is engaged by the follower wheel 32. The heart-shaped cam is designed to provide a connection of varying mechanical advantage between the tilting platform and torsion spring, such that as the platform tilts from the neutral position, so the mechanical advantage increases to compensate for the increasing resistance to rotation offered by the torsion spring. By suitably shaping the heart-shaped cam, the force required to counterbalance the platform throughout its range of tilting movement is provided by the windup of the torsion spring through displacement of the cam follower, in a similar manner to that described in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2 above.

[0027] It will be observed that the heart-shaped cam is symmetrical about a line extending through the cusp 34 of the cam and the shaft 15 on which the cam is supported, so that a similar counterbalancing force is developed in the torsion spring per degree of angular rotation of the platform to either side of the upright, neutral position.

[0028] In a further construction which is not illustrated the connections between the platform and torsion spring are replaced by non-circular gears between the stub-shaft 15 rotating with the platform and shaft 20 acting on the spring to provide a drive of increasing mechanical advantage with rotation of the platform from the neutral position to generate the requisite compensation factor as described earlier.

[0029] The following is a mathematical analysis of the applicable forces and demonstrates how near perfect balance is achieved throughout the greater part of the range of tilt of the platform for the mechanism described above.

[0030] Graph Showing Torque Error (Specific Embodiment/Linear Torsion Spring) vs Tilt Angle.

[0031] As can be seen from the graphs, near perfect balance is achieved in the specific embodiment over the range 0-90°. In fact perfect balance is achieved at 0°, 45° and 90° with slight divergence from perfect balance in the region of 20° and 70°. This very slight out of balance is significantly less than the general “stiction” in the system and so is of no consequence. For all practical purposes this is perfectly acceptable to the user. Camera Mass: m C of G Height: r Tilt Angle: Spring Disp: Spring Rate: k r1 = 30 d := 7.6 m := 1 r := 1 θbal := 45 θbal s := 40 Crank Spring lever Mass & CG Perfect balance Perfect balance throw offset of payload angle angle (linear) θb := θbal · deg θbs := θbals · deg yb := rl · cos(θb) − d ${r2b}:=\sqrt{({xb})^{2} + ({yb})^{2}}$

${\theta 1b}:={{acos}\left( \frac{yb}{r2b} \right)}$

Spring disp (perfect balance) $k:={m \cdot r \cdot {\sin ({\theta b})} \cdot \frac{r2b}{{r1} \cdot {\theta 1b} \cdot {\cos \left( {{\theta 1b} - {\theta b}} \right)}}}$

θ:= 0, 3 . . . 90 θr_(θ) := θ · θdeg Tilt angle (rads) y_(θ) := r1 · cos (θr_(θ)) − d x_(θ) := r1 · sin(θr_(θ)) ${r2}_{\theta}:=\sqrt{\left( x_{\theta} \right)^{2} + \left( y_{\theta} \right)^{2}}$

${\theta 1}_{\theta}:={{acos}\left( \frac{y_{\theta}}{{r2}_{\theta}} \right)}$

Spring disp (actual) tr_(θ) := m · r · sin(θr_(θ)) Required torque ${ta}_{\theta}:=\frac{k \cdot {\theta 1}_{\theta} \cdot {r1} \cdot {\cos \left( {{\theta 1}_{\theta} - {\theta r}_{\theta}} \right)}}{{r2}_{\theta}}$

Actual torque te_(θ) := ta_(θ) − tr_(θ)Torque error ${ts}_{\theta}:={m \cdot r \cdot {\sin ({\theta bs})} \cdot \frac{{\theta r}_{\theta}}{\theta bs}}$

Torque (linear) tse_(θ) := ts_(θ) − tr_(θ)Torque error (linear) 

1. A mounting for a payload (e.g. a TV/Video camera) comprising a platform (18) providing a mounting face for the payload, means (12, 13, 15, 17) to mount the platform for rotation about a horizontal axis for tilting of the platform to either side of a neutral position in which the platform is horizontal, torsion spring means (25) to provide resistance to the said tilting movement in either direction from said neutral position to counterbalance the payload/platform in any position of tilt and coupling means (22, 23, 24) interconnecting the platform and said spring means with a mechanical advantage which increases automatically with movement of the platform away from said neutral position to compensate for the increasing spring resistance to tilting generated by the torsion spring to counterbalance the camera/platform combination through its range of tilting; characterised in that the torsion spring is arranged with its axis parallel to said horizontal axis about which the platform rotates and the coupling means acts on the tiltable platform at a location spaced from the horizontal axis of rotation of the platform.
 2. A mounting as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the coupling means comprise a lever (22) connected to the platform (18) and coupled to the torsional spring means (25) to exert a torque thereon.
 3. A mounting as claimed in claim 2, characterised in that the lever (22) has a sliding connection (23, 24) to the platform (18) to accommodate the different axes of rotation of the platform and lever whereby tilting of the platform tilts the lever by a corresponding amount to develop a torque in said torsion spring which resists said tilting of the lever and thereby counterbalancing the platform.
 4. A mounting as claimed in claim 1, the coupling means comprises cam means (32, 33, 34) acting between the platform and the torsion spring means.
 5. A mounting as claimed in claim 4, the cam means comprises a cam (33) mounted on the platform (18) to rotate about said horizontal axis about which the platform is tiltable and a cam follower (32) acting on the cam and connected to the torsion spring means (25) to rotate about said parallel axis.
 6. A mounting as claimed in claim 5, the cam follower comprises a lever (22) coupled to the torsion spring means (25) at one end and acting on the cam (33) at the other end.
 7. A mounting as claimed in claim 6, the cam (33) is heart-shaped and the lever (22) has a roller (32) to engage the periphery of the cam (33.
 8. A mounting as claimed in any of the preceding claims, the torsion spring means (25) comprise a helical spring or a flattened spiral spring. 